Author Archives: Ryan Paquet

Ensuring safe and compliant battery logistics: Bluewater Battery Logistics partners with HazMat Safety Consulting

As the demand for lithium battery recycling, resale, and repurposing grows, navigating the evolving regulatory landscape has become increasingly complex. In response, Bluewater Battery Logistics has announced an official partnership with HazMat Safety Consulting, strengthening their commitment to safe and DOT-compliant battery management solutions across the United States. This collaboration, built on two years of…

Investigators are people, too and other things I learned working with PHMSA field ops

For 9 months of my career with USDOT / PHMSA, I was asked to oversee the Field Operations Team for the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety.  It was a great experienced that provided me with insight and a more complete understanding of the hazardous materials safety system, of which so many of us are a…

Insights from behind the scenes

As we live through this unprecedented and challenging time in human history, I thought that I would share with you a quick story of how a small government agency (PHMSA) worked with industry and other government agencies to keep Americans safe. In 2014, the US was faced with an issue that it hadn’t dealt with…

Here we go

As I enter a new phase of my career, I want to share a few perspectives that I learned from my time working with PHMSA’s Approvals and Permits Division. Firstly, the people of the Approvals and Permits Division and across PHMSA are smart, hard-working, mission-driven people that are truly dedicated to safety.  As a Federal…

FAA proposed fines for Hazardous Material violations

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed civil penalties exceeding $50,000 for alleged Hazardous Materials Violations involving persons and companies that have offered lithium batteries in checked baggage when in fact it should have been shipped as cargo.  These violations are taken very seriously with stiff penalties because of the risk posed particularly aboard passenger…

30% state of charge

Limits the volume of flammable gases emitted by lithium ion cells propagated in a thermal runaway. • Results in a less energetic thermal runaway event if one should occur. • Reduces the likelihood of thermal propagation from cell to cell. • Harmonization facilitates international trade by minimizing the burden of complying with multiple or inconsistent…